1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suction tube mounted with an auxiliary brush of a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a suction tube mounted with an auxiliary brush of a vacuum cleaner, in which an auxiliary brush is used and stored under the state of being mounted to any one of extension pipes forming the suction tube of the vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An external appearance of a conventional vacuum cleaner is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,156 and FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,534. FIG. 1 shows the schematic construction of the conventional vacuum cleaner as illustrated in FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,156 and 5,101,534. Referring to FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner typically includes a cleaner body 10 having a vacuum pump (not shown) and a dirt bag (not shown) therein, and a suction nozzle 20 which has an intake passageway (not shown) for sucking dirt-laden air and a brush (not shown) serving for directing the dirt and the like over a floor toward an inlet opening (not shown) of the intake passageway. In addition to these, the vacuum cleaner has a suction tube 30 consisting of a plurality of extension pipes 30a, 30b and 30c which connect suction nozzle 20 to cleaner body 10 while affording a passage of the dirt-laden air into cleaner body 10 via suction nozzle 20, and a flexible tube 40.
However, suction nozzle 20 of the general vacuum cleaner as shown in FIG. 1 is shaped unsuitable for the cleaning of corners such as the border lines of walls and the floor or a dented portion in a window frame (hereinafter simply referred to as corner portions). Thus, when cleaning the corner portions, it is common practice to separate suction nozzle 20 or extension pipes 30a and 30b from the preceding end of extension pipes 30a, 30b or 30c, and an auxiliary brush 50 shaped to be suitable for the cleaning of the corner portions is mounted instead, thereby carrying out the cleaning work (refer to FIG. 2). One example of the auxiliary brush of the vacuum cleaner used as the above manner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,894 entitled: "Vacuum Cleaner Nozzle."
But such auxiliary brush 50 is usually small in size and stored separately from the extension pipes, thereby highly liable to be lost. FIGS. 3 to 4C illustrate a conventional vacuum cleaner having a suction tube mounted with an auxiliary brush which is coupled with the suction tube of the vacuum cleaner in one-piece to be used and stored so as to inhibit the possible loss thereof.
A suction tube 100 mounted with the auxiliary brush of the aforementioned conventional vacuum cleaner consists of an extension pipe 110 and an auxiliary brush 111 rotatably mounted to the preceding end of extension pipe 110. Auxiliary brush 111 is formed by a brush body 112 and a dust brush 115 integrally molded into one end of brush body 112. Auxiliary brush 111 is mounted to be rotatable about the preceding end of extension pipe 110 by approximately 180.degree.. For this reason, one plane among four planes of auxiliary brush 111 has no brush body 112 and dust brush 115.
Suction tube 100 mounted with auxiliary brush 111 of the conventional vacuum cleaner constructed as above is pulled backward to force dust brush 115 of auxiliary brush 111 to face extension pipe 110 when auxiliary brush 111 is not available. Therefore, when another extension pipe 121 is inserted into an inlet of extension pipe 110, dust brush 115 is not damaged due to another extension pipe 121 (refer to FIG. 4A). Whereas, when auxiliary brush 111 is utilized, dust brush 115 of auxiliary brush 111 expands to face the outer preceding end of extension pipe 110 to perform the cleaning of the corner portions (refer to FIG. 4B). Auxiliary brush 111 may be utilized under a state of expanding by half without thoroughly expanding against extension pipe 110 as shown in FIG. 4C.
However, in suction tube 100 mounted with auxiliary brush 111 of the conventional vacuum cleaner, brush body 112 and dust brush 115 are not provided in one plane among the four planes of auxiliary brush 111 to thus open the one plane. Consequently, between auxiliary brush 111 and a place subjected to be cleaned, a space is incurred owing to the plane without involving brush body 112 and dust brush 115, which significantly degrades cleaning efficiency.
Furthermore, when a user handles auxiliary brush 111 in above-described suction tube 100 mounted with auxiliary brush 111 of the conventional vacuum cleaner, another extension pipe 121 is separated out of extension pipe 110 from the preceding end of extension pipe 110, and then auxiliary brush 111 rotatably mounted to the preceding end of extension pipe 110 is pulled back. In addition, when auxiliary brush 111 is not used, after the auxiliary brush 111 is rotated in the reverse direction to the above operation to be closely attached to extension pipe 110, another extension pipe 121 is coupled to extension pipe 110, etc. These operations are troublesome in using the vacuum cleaner.